Nairobi — The government has through the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner (ODPC) contacted China's ByteDance Limited, TikTok's parent company, to ascertain their level of compliance with Kenyan laws.
Interior CS Kithure Kindiki Thursday said ODPC is expected to obtain clarifications on TikTok's commitment to ensuring the privacy of individuals and to provide details on the effectiveness of age verification and content filtering.
Additionally, the ODPC asked ByteDance Limited to demonstrate its compliance with the Data Protection Act.
"With its wide reach, the TikTok platform has been used by criminal elements to spread malicious propaganda, steal popular accounts through identity theft and impersonation, defraud users through fake forex trade and job recruitment, distribution of sexual content and exposure of minors to inappropriate content," Kindiki said.
Speaking when he appeared before the National Assembly Committee on Petitions, Kindiki said banning TikTok in Kenya would be premature without considering the opinions given the likely impact on people using it.
He said before taking firm measures, like locally outlawing the platform, a thorough review of the advantages and disadvantages must be done.
"I don't think we're in a position to declare the dangers outweigh the benefits. It's a bit premature," he stated.
The CS, however, reiterated the need for TikTok and other data controllers and processors to comply with regulations under the Data Protection Act.
"We should work out a program where we have a policy that is evidence-based to assess whether the risks are more prominent than the benefits," he noted.
"Let's not only look at quick fixes but have a long-term comprehensive plan and help the country from not banning TikTok," Kindiki urged lawmakers.
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